DUBAI: Excitement is in the air as arch-rivals Pakistan and India are all set for a mega-match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 today (Sunday) at Dubai Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan and India, cricket’s fiercest rivals, will showdown today at 2:00 p.m. (PST). As a high-stakes game is on the line, fans from both countries are eager to fill the venue in Dubai. Millions of fans will livestream the match, which promises to be a thrilling contest.
Hosts and defending champions Pakistan will enter the match in a do-or-die situation after a crushing 60-run defeat to New Zealand in their tournament opener. Green Shirts will also miss the in-form Fakhar Zaman, paving the way for Imamul Haq to open alongside Babar Azam.
Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed on Saturday said his fast bowlers are “match-winners” and will pull off something special against arch-rivals India in their pivotal Champions Trophy clash.
“We have three specialists and I would say one of the best pace bowling options in today’s game with Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris,” Aaqib told reporters.
The former seam bowler said the current attack reminds him of that from the 1990s, when Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Aaqib stepped up after the retirement of the great Imran Khan.
India, who refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, are playing all their matches in Dubai and look more confident after a victory in their opening match against Bangladesh. Even without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, the Men in Blue looked dominant, with Mohammed Shami leading the bowling attack by claiming five wickets.
The Indian batting unit, spearheaded by the in-form Shubman Gill, who scored a brilliant 101 against Bangladesh, appears well-equipped to handle the Pakistani challenge. India has also dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning seven of the last eight completed ODIs against Pakistan.
Their dominance is well-documented, but Pakistan’s unpredictability in major tournaments cannot be overlooked.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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